Blueberry plant named ‘C99-42’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of blueberry ( Vaccinium  hybrid) plant named ‘C99-42’, characterized by its combination of spreading plant shape and strong plant growth vigor, evergreen foliage, early to mid-season of flowering and fruiting, medium fruit size, very firm fruit suited to handling, attractive dark blue fruit color and small picking scar. This combination results in higher quality fruit with an earlier availability than other varieties.

Latin name of genus and species of plant claimed: Vaccinium hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘C99-42’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct perennial variety ofVaccinium hybrid (Southern Highbush Blueberry), which has been given thevariety denomination of ‘C99-42’. Its market class is that of a fruitingplant. ‘C99-42’ is intended for use as fresh fruit for shipping,customer pick and processing markets and as a home garden plant.

The new blueberry cultivar is a selection resulting from seedlingsproduced in a controlled breeding programme of Vaccinium at Gainesville,Fla., USA in 1996 from a cross of seed parent ‘F97-47’ (unpatented) andpollen parent ‘F 88-53’ (patented as ‘Windsor’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.12,783). The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single plantwithin a population of blueberry plants in 1999 in a commercial fieldplantation environment at Corindi Beach, New South Wales, Australia.Selection criteria was a combination of upright to bushy plant shape andstrong plant growth vigor, evergreen foliage, earliness of flowering andfruiting, large fruit size, firm fruit suited to handling, attractivedark blue fruit color and small picking scar. The selection wassubsequently evaluated for a number of years at the commercial farms ofBerryExchange at Corindi Beach, New South Wales, Australia.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cutting propagation since1999 at Corindi Beach, New South Wales, Australia and has demonstratedthat the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of thecharacteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained throughsuccessive generations of such asexual propagation.

The new variety has been primarily compared to the variety ‘Sharpe Blue’(unpatented). In Corindi Beach, New South Wales, Australia the time offruit ripening of ‘C99-42’ is classified as ‘early to mid-season’whereas the time of fruit ripening of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is classified as‘mid-season’. The earlier time of fruit ripening of ‘C99-42’ allows fora greater period of production on farm and an ability to supply freshfruit markets at an earlier date than ‘Sharpe Blue’. The time ofvegetative bud burst of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium to late’ whereas the time ofvegetative bud burst of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is ‘early to mid-season’. The timeof beginning of flowering of ‘C99-42’ is classified as ‘early tomid-season’ which is similar to the time of beginning of flowering of‘Sharpe Blue’. The time of fruit ripening of ‘C99-42’ is classified as‘early to mid-season’ whereas ‘Sharpe Blue’ is classified as‘mid-season’. Therefore one of the attributes of the new variety is thatit has vegetative bud burst later than ‘Sharpe Blue’, yet its fruitripens earlier than ‘Sharpe Blue’. The plant growth habit of ‘C99-42’ is‘spreading’ whereas the plant growth habit of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is ‘bushy tospreading’. The leaf width of ‘C99-42’ is ‘narrow’ (20–25 mm) whereasthe leaf width of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is ‘broad’ (40–45 mm). The berry colorof ‘C99-42’ is a dark blue whereas the berry color of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is alighter blue. The berry firmness of ‘C99-42’ is firm whereas ‘SharpeBlue’ is soft. The picking scar of ‘C99-42’ is classified as ‘dry’whereas the picking scar of ‘Sharpe Blue’ is ‘wet’. This combination offruiting attributes results in ‘C99-42’ being a more suitable varietyfor commercial handling including picking and packing than ‘SharpeBlue’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following characteristics of the new cultivar have been repeatedlyobserved and can be used to distinguish ‘C99-42’ as a new and distinctcultivar of blueberry plant:

-   -   1. Spreading plant growth habit    -   2. Mid-season to late timing of vegetative bud burst    -   3. Early to mid-season timing of beginning of flowering    -   4. Early to mid-season timing of fruit ripening    -   5. Dark blue berry color    -   6. Berry firmness is firm to very firm    -   7. Picking scar is dry        Plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of the parents        primarily in spreading growth habit, medium fruit size, dark        blue colour and dry picking scar, whereas the parent varieties        have a bushy to semi-spreading growth habit, very large fruit        size, light blue colour and medium to wet picking scar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show, as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same in color illustrations of this type, typicalflower and foliage characteristics of the new cultivar. Colors in thephotographs differ slightly from the color values cited in the detaileddescription, which accurately describes the colors of ‘C99-42’.

FIG. 1 illustrates a ‘C99-42’ plant in a commercial field planting.

FIG. 2 illustrates ‘C99-42’ leaf and berry shapes and dimensions.

FIG. 3 illustrates ‘C99-42’ leaf and berry shapes and dimensionscompared to other commercial cultivars.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed botanical description of a new and distinctvariety of a Vaccinium hybrid ornamental plant known as ‘C99-42’. Plantobservations were made on plants grown in Corindi Beach, New SouthWales, Australia. Unless indicated otherwise, the descriptions disclosedherein are based upon observations made from August to September 2007 ofmature ‘C99-42’ plants (age 4 years) grown in outdoor field plantingswith day temperature ranging from 21° C. to 23° C., night temperaturesranging from 10° C. to 12° C., and light levels ranging from 6 to 8klux. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that certaincharacteristics will vary with older or, conversely, younger plants.‘C99-42’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. Where dimensions, sizes, colors and other characteristicsare given, it is to be understood that such characteristics areapproximations or averages set forth as accurately as practicable. Thephenotype of the variety may vary with variations in the environmentsuch as season, temperature, light quality, light intensity, day length,cultural conditions and the like. Color notations are based on The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, of The Royal Horticultural Society,London, 1995 edition.

-   Botanical classification: Vaccinium hybrid cultivar C99-42.-   Parentage:    -   -   Parents.—Seed parent ‘F97-47’ (unpatented) and pollen parent            ‘F88-53’ (patented as ‘Windsor’ PP12,783).-   Plant:    -   -   Growth habit.—Plants are spreading. Growth vigor is strong.            Plant height is 1.6 m. Plant width is 1.5 m. Flower bud            density is medium. Twigginess is high. Time of beginning of            leaf bud burst is medium to late (mid to early September)            when grown as an evergreen in Australia. Time of beginning            of flowering is early to mid-season (begins mid May; peaks            mid August) when grown as an evergreen in Australia. Time of            fruit ripening is early to mid-season (begins mid July;            peaks late September to early October) when grown as an            evergreen in Australia-   Stem:    -   -   Suckering tendency.—Plants typically have 5–7 major canes            per plant from a base 30 cm in diameter on 6 year old            plants.        -   Canes.—Erect to semi-erect with moderate branching; color            greyed orange 198C; 2 year old cane diameter 12 mm, colored            greyed orange 177B, some flaking of bark, current season            wood diameter 3–4 mm, colored yellow green 144C Internode            length on strong, new shoots: 15–20 mm.        -   Fruiting wood.—Numerous twigs to 10 cm in length.        -   Surface texture of new wood.—Smooth.-   Fully developed leaf:    -   -   Length.—Medium 60–70 mm.        -   Width.—Medium approximately 22–26 mm.        -   Shape.—Elliptic.        -   Color.—Yellow green 137A.        -   Intensity of color.—Medium.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Undulation of margin.—Weak.        -   Pubescence of upper side.—Absent.        -   Pubescence of lower side.—Absent.        -   Cross sectional profile.—Flat.        -   Longitudinal profile.—Straight.        -   Attitude.—Broad acute to horizontal.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Length of peduncle.—To 12 mm.        -   Length of pedicel.—Long 4–5 mm.        -   Number of flowers per cluster.—Median 7.        -   Flower cluster density is.—Medium.-   Flowers:    -   -   Length of corolla tube.—Short-medium (to 13 mm).        -   Width of corolla tube.—Narrow-medium (to 9 mm).        -   Corolla aperture diameter.—3 mm.        -   Color of corolla.—White 155D.        -   Anthocyanin coloration of corolla.—Absent.        -   Corolla.—Ridges present.        -   Protrusion of stigma.—Absent.        -   Fragrance.—Weak.        -   Shape.—Urceolate.        -   Abundance of pollen.—High.        -   Calyx (with sepals).—Diameter 5–6 mm.        -   Calyx color,—Green 138A.-   Productivity: 3 to 4 kg per season from 3–4 year old plants planted    at 3.0 m ×0.9 m density.-   Cold hardiness: C99-42 has not been grown in all environments    including harsh winter environments. Cold tolerance is expected to    be low.-   Chilling requirement: C99-42 has not been grown in all environments    and is typically grown as an evergreen crop where chilling hours are    not important. C99-42 is classed as ‘low chill’, typical of Southern    Highbush Blueberry varieties with an estimated chilling requirement    of 350 hours (not tested).-   Leafing: Plants retain leaves year round (at Corindi beach, NSW    Australia) and C99-42 is grown commercially as an evergreen crop.    New leafing occurs in mid to early September at Corindi beach, NSW    Australia.-   Fruit:    -   -   Unripe fruit color intensity.—Light.        -   Unripe fruit color,—144A.        -   Cluster density is.—Medium.        -   Diameter is.—Medium (mean 17.5 mm).        -   Weight.—Medium (approximately 2.3 g).        -   Shape.—Globose.        -   Attitude of calyx.—Erect.        -   Diameter of calyx basin.—Medium (mean 6.5 mm).        -   Depth of calyx basin is.—Shallow (to 1 mm).        -   Intensity of bloom.—Medium to strong.        -   Intensity of blue color of skin with bloom removed is.—Very            dark.        -   Color of skin.—202A.        -   Sweetness when ripe.—Strong.        -   Firmness when ripe.—Firm to very firm.        -   Acidity when ripe.—Weak.        -   Size of scar is.—Small (1.0–1.5 mm).        -   Storage quality.—Good.-   Date of 50% maturity: Approximately 25^(th) September at Corindi    beach, NSW Australia.-   Fruit development period: Approximately 60 days in protected    cultivation at Corindi beach, NSW Australia.-   Speed:    -   -   Seed color.—Greyed orange 165B.        -   Seed abundance in fruit.—Medium.        -   Seed size.—1.6–1.8 mm long for fully developed seeds.-   Tolerance to disease: C99-42 has shown good resistance to root    disease (phytophthora spp) and medium to good resistance to    blueberry rust compared to commercial varieties ‘Sharpe Blue’ and    ‘Emerald’. Also demonstrates good resistance to the fruit disease    Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gleosporoides).

1. A new and distinct cultivar of blueberry plant named ‘C99-42’,substantially as herein shown and described.